In our Treasure Trails review, we solve a murder mystery while exploring the City of London.
What is a ‘Treasure Trail’?
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A mix of murder mystery and tourist trail, Treasure Trails are self-guided adventures running in several cities across Britain. The premise is simple – follow the directions supplied, using the clues supplied to eliminate suspects and solve the case.
Clues are gleaned from the things you see along your walk. How many letters in a particular word on a sign, a few basic maths questions, etc etc.
The clues are simple to understand – and easy to solve.
Why did we choose a Treasure Trail game?
Escape rooms tend to be extremely expensive in London, so we were looking for something similar – but more cost effective. We toyed with the idea of doing one of the Hidden City trails, but they are as expensive as an actual escape room (although they are extremely well put together).
Treasure Trails are a happy medium, a chance to do some puzzles and see some sights. And they cost just £9.99 for your whole team.
We’ve completed a few Treasure Trails games in the past (Soho, Essex etc) and have found them to be both fun and educational.
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The Treasure Trails app is free to download – you just pay for each game when you’re ready to explore.
A trip around the Square Mile
We chose the Pudding Lane – London’s Square Mile trail. Because we were away from home, we opted for the app version of the game (we didn’t have access to a printer). The ‘case’ starts at Monument Station, our mission to identify the killer of Chuck Doughball.
Why is it called ‘The Square Mile’?
The City of London is actually an area measuring exactly one square mile to the east of the city. The rest of ‘London’ is technically called Westminster. So now you know.
A couple of hours later we’ve done a big loop and we’re back at Monument. We’ve passed several London landmarks – Lloyds of London, St Dunstan in the East, the Tower of London and the Monument itself.
There’s also a stop at Leadenhall Market which will excite any Harry Potter fans.
Top tip: The City of London tends to be very, very quiet at the weekend. Playing Treasure Trails on a Saturday or Sunday is advised to avoid crowds of impatient bankers. The only downside is that finding a restaurant or bar may be slightly harder as many don’t open at the weekends either!
The clues are very simple – this is a game for families after all – and the trip doesn’t take too long. But that’s actually a good thing.
Because you are not racing the clock, you can do the trail as quickly or slowly as you like. You can take detours at your leisure (we went to visit the Samuel Pepys statue for instance). You can even stop and finish the trail another day if you want.
The Treasure Trail games have been updated in recent years allowing you to send an SMS help request if you get stuck on a clue. We can’t comment on how well this system works because we never needed help – and that’s a sign of how well put together this game is.
We successfully solved the case, identifying both killer and murder weapon by process of deduction.
When you complete the trail and submit your conclusion, you’re automatically entered into a monthly draw to win £100. Which is nice.
Any negatives?
No Treasure Trails London review would be complete without pointing out a few potential niggles:
- The game can only be used on one phone. If you want to play on two or more devices, you’ll need to buy one game for each.
- Streets and alleys in the City of London tend to be narrow and, in some places, paved with cobblestones. This may present a problem if you have accessibility needs.
- The City is very busy Monday to Friday which may make this trail less enjoyable.
- The puzzles are very simple so may leave seasoned escape room enthusiasts a little disappointed.
- Watching the videos and sharing clues on one phone can be frustrating – and probably worse if you are playing the game with kids.
Treasure Trails London review conclusion
The Pudding Lane – London’s Square Mile trail is excellent value for money and a great way to see some of the sights around one of the world’s major financial centres. In between banks and insurance houses you will find dozens of churches and ancient alleyways. This is not a trip down Wall Street.
The option of app-based play is a welcome update, although this brings its own frustrations. However, live SMS support is very helpful for if your team gets stuck on a puzzle.
Ultimately, the Treasure Trail puzzles are not up to the standard of an escape room – but they aren’t intended to be either. At just £9.99 this is a great value way to explore the City of London at your own pace.
There are 1200 award-winning games available in locations across the UK. You can find the full list on the Treasure Trails website.
